Vintage Collectible Art in Books - Part 2

Are you ready for Richard Scarry's drawings of OZ, and some wonderfully whimsical art from Maurice Sendak?  Both of these illustrators shared June birthdays (Scarry's was on the 5th, and Maurice Sendak's was the 6th), and I just had to share a few more lovely illustrations (mentioned here in my past post) from The Best In Children's Books - a vintage 42-volume set published between 1957 and 1961.

Richard Scarry's cover illustration of Baum's With Dorothy in Oz (Volume 40) brought memories of childhood read aloud time with my mom flooding back!

The pages of these treasured volumes hold wonderful story collections and original artwork that (in some cases) can only be found between the covers of these books!

Such is the case for the amazing original illustrations I've posted today, starting with Richard Scarry's vision of OZ...

From Maurice Sendak, I'd like to share these gems found in Volume 31. Sendak's illustrations accompanied "Windy Wash Day and Other Poems" by Dorothy Aldis...

"...perhaps the most intriguing part of the series is the illustrators. Their names are not given on the table of contents page, but are found only on the title page of the individual story. Because of this lack of credit, most of the illustrations done in this series are not mentioned in bibliographies of the artists' work. Thanks to the efforts of art director Diana Klemin, many now-famous illustrators did some of their earliest work in this series, including Maurice Sendak, Ezra Jack Keats, Peter Spier, Barbara Cooney, Feodor Rojankovsky, Richard Scarry, and even Andy Warhol...." [source: de Grummond Children's Literature Collection - read more here]

New-Found Appreciation for Randolph Caldecott

I am delighting in a recent book purchase: Caldecott & Co., by Maurice Sendak (a Caldecott Medal winner himself in 1970).  The book, consisting of essays written about several authors and illustrators that Sendak admired, as well as autobiographical essays and interviews by Sendak, is an opinionated, yet thoughtful, observation of some of The Best of what is out there for children.

To be completely honest, I've sometimes wondered if the "Caldecott Medal" was a bit over-hyped - I mean, really, can you judge art?  But in reading Mr. Sendak's chapter about Randolph Caldecott, I've gained a new appreciation for Caldecott himself and a better understanding of the importance of the standard set by this "Father of the Modern Picture Book" and how that standard should be upheld and lauded in the world of children's picture books.

From The Diverting History of John Gilpin: Showing how he went farther than he
intended, and came home safe again. (1878)
(The illustration on the Caldecott Medal is taken from this book)

Sendak gives a wonderful explanation about what Randolph Caldecott brought to children's books in his opening paragraph about him:

Caldecott's work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book.  He devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counterpoint that never happened before.  Words are left out -- but the picture says it.  Pictures are left out -- but the word says it.  In short, it is the invention of the picture book.

Mr. Sendak goes on to describe in detail the talent and humor of Caldecott's books, something I had really not given full attention to in my own observations of his work!  He sites Caldecott's "rhythmic syncopation of words and images", saying "the characters leap across the page..." and revealing "Caldecott is an illustrator, he is a songwriter, he is a choreographer, he is a stage manager, he is a decorator, he is a theatre person: he's superb, simply."

One of my favorite Caldecott works is one that I've featured before, here: The Milkmaid.  Be sure and notice all that is going on in his amazing illustrations. Below are some more favorite Nursery rhymes...

Cover Art - go here to see all the book's illustrations

Hey Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting (which Maurice Sendak describes in delightful detail!)
Go here for all the illustrations on Project Gutenberg.

"And the dish ran away with the spoon..." from Hey Diddle Diddle

Cover illustration for Randolph Caldecott's Sing a Song of Sixpence (1880) ,  public domain.

Thank you, Mr. Caldecott the sense of movement, humor, and vitality you brought to children's books!

source

In the United States, receiving the Randolph Caldecott Medal is the highest honor an artist can achieve for children’s book illustration. Established in 1937, this medal is given to the artist who has created the most distinguished picture book of the previous year. It accompanies the prestigious Newbery Medal which is awarded for the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year. 

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded by the American Library Association and was named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. Caldecott’s illustrations for children were unique to their time in both their humor and in their ability to create a sense of movement, vitality, and action that complemented the stories they accompanied. 

The Randolph Caldecott Medal itself captures that vitality. Rene’ Paul Chambellan designed the medal in 1937, inspired by one of Caldecott’s illustrations for “The Diverting Story of John Gilpin,” showing John Gilpin astride a runaway horse, scattering squawking geese, chased by yelping dogs, and waved at by startled onlookers. Significantly, the recipient of the Randolph Caldecott Medal is memorialized on the reverse of the medal with engraved name and date of award.

SPEND PART OF YOUR SUMMER WITH "THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T GROW UP"

In today's post, I thought it would be fun to share some book covers from over the years that have encased J.M. Barrie's imaginative story of Peter Pan. The first one I'll mention - shown below - is a classically illustrated edition, with the artwork of over 16 illustrators, compiled by Cooper Edens.  I would highly recommend it, especially if you're interested to see how different illustrators have captured Peter in graphic depiction.

[If you missed my post about Peter Pan last summer, you can find it here: "Make This the Summer You Read Aloud J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan".]
This story is delightful for children and adults alike. Throughout the book, the omniscient narrator interjects many humorous asides and explanations to the reader - apparently Barrie's attempt to remind us adults, who surely have lost touch with our childhood imaginations, about the inborn behavior of children. But I think he also wants to admonish children to appreciate their carefree youth while they have it. Young children may not fully grasp the meaning of what is discussed throughout the novel, but they will love the adventures of Peter, Wendy, John and Michael.

The story of Peter Pan has always been special to our family. My dad (Peter) fondly remembers as a boy being taken to see the play, starring Mary Martin.  My own daughter became a fan of the story as an eighth grader when she read the illustrated edition (pictured above) for the first time. And she was thrilled when she was given the dance (and flying!!!)  role of "Peter" for her ballet studio's production. Then there's my nephew, Peter who cried because the adventure was over when they finished reading Peter Pan aloud as a family (he was nine at the time).

Here are some of my favorite covers, and their illustrators (click on the illustrator's name to see more):

Arthur Rackham

F.D. Bedford

Edmund Blampied

Gwynedd M. Hudson

Mabel Lucie Atwell

Eyvind Earle

Michael Hague

 A Game of cards appeared around the same time that the play and the book were at the height of their popularity. The illustrations in this game were taken from the original pen and water colour drawings by Charles A. Buchel. He was a famous theatrical illustrator and artist of the day who had designed the original posters for the first performance of Peter Pan in 1904. He loved the theatre and claimed that he “probably had as sitters, more actors and actresses than any other living artist”. It seems very likely that his designs of the costumes and characters in the illustrations are based on the those of the original performances. [source: The Virtual Museum of Childhood]

Buchel's original theatre poster for the 1904 production of Peter Pan

CHILDREN'S BOOKS CALENDARS FOR 2012

Want a fun kidlit calendar for the New Year?  Here are some offerings from Calendars.com.

12 days, 12 books, 12 illustrators

one - jan brett

 two - jane ray

 three - laurel long

 four - louise brierley

 five - robert sabuda

 six - gennady spirin

 seven - brian wildsmith

 eight - joanna isles

 nine - ilonka karasz

ten - don daily

eleven - rachel griffin

twelve - little golden book

Which illustrator is your favorite?
I hope you're enjoying these "12 Days of Christmas", which end on January 6th, with the celebration of Theophany, or Epiphany.

ELSA BESKOW: A SWEDISH ILLUSTRATOR

Cover of a Swedish school reader, Vill du läsa? (Do You Want to Read?)

Autumn is officially here, and what better illustration to post than this beautiful offering by one of my favorite children's book illustrators than Elsa Beskow (1874-1953).

In 1894 Beskow started to contribute to the Swedish children's magazine Jultomten. She went on to publish forty children's books with her own text and images. In her books Beskow used her own childhood experiences as a source for ideas. Her six children also inspired her work. Many of her books focus on nature, the relationships between children and adults, and children's independent initiative. She frequently combined reality with elements from the fairy tale world. In her stories and artwork, children meet elves, goblins, or fairies, and farm animals who can talk with people.

From Peter in Blueberry Land

Elsa Beskow is one of the most well known of all Swedish children's book artists (she's been called the "Beatrix Potter of Scandinavia"). Many of her books became classics and are continually reprinted. Beskow also illustrated ABC books and songbooks for Swedish schools. Her beautiful book pages are often bordered by decorative framework of the Art Nouveau style.

From Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip

BEAUTIFUL BOOKS BY ELSA BESKOW:

AROUND THE YEAR - Delightful verses and delicate, playful illustrations that take young children through the special joys of each month of the year, from icy February to the green shoots of April, the red poppies of July, September’s apples, and the delights of December.

CHILDREN OF THE FOREST - Deep in the roots of an old pine tree live the children of the forest. Playing hide-and-seek with the squirrels, and snowballing in winter, each season brings its own adventures.

PELLE'S NEW SUIT - Pelle shears his lamb and gets the wool carded, spun, dyed, woven and made into a fine new suit.

PETER IN BLUEBERRY LAND - Peter is looking for blueberries for his mother’s birthday and he can’t find a single one. Suddenly he feels a light tap on his shoe, and a strange and magical adventure is about to begin.

WOODY, HAZEL AND LITTLE PIP - Woody and Little Pip Acorn have an unexpected adventure when they take a ride on an oak leaf. Mr. Squirrel and their friend sweet little Hazel Hazelnut go searching for the acorn boys, and they meet gnomes, trolls, a salamander and other woodland creatures along the way. A wonderful, fun story with beautiful illustrations that capture children's imaginations beautifully.

Just a few more days to enter my SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY!  Bob Books SIGHT WORDS set for Kindergarten and First Grade is the gift.  To enter, leave a comment, start following my blog, or "like" my Facebook page by September 29th.  Winner will be announced on September 30, 2011.  CLICK HERE for more info. CONTEST OVER.